Trace-carrier



UNITED ST TES PATENT OFFICE.

ADAM B. IVIIJHELM, OF QUINCY, ILLINOIS.

TRACE-CARRIER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 255,744, dated March 28, 1882,

Application filed April 20, 1881. (No model.)

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ADAM B. WILHELM, of Quincy, in the county of Adams and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Trace-Carriers; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

My invention relates to trace-carriers, the object of it being to render the carrier con\'en-, ient andsecure in operation, retaining at the same time simplicity and cheapness in the structure.

Heretofore various forms of truce-carriers have beendevised, and in the patent of Cooper, No. 122,864, of 1872, is shown a trace-carrier in which are openings for introducing the cockeye in a vertical position, these openings connecting with other transverse openings in which the coekeyes are turned and held.

My invention is a simplification of the form shown in that patent, by which simplification the size of the article is reduced, and it is made more compact, ofless metal and weight, and is neater, and in some respects operates better than trace-carriers heretoforeknown to me.

The invention consists in the specific construction of the parts hereinafter described.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of the improved carrier with the cockeyes in place. Fig. 2 represents a perspective view'ot' the same.

In these drawings the base of the main part of the carrier is represented as composed of curved bars J J and cross-bars D G, the latter being preferably straight. These serve as the frame which supports the parts receiving and holding the cockeyes, and also for the strap-connections. The crupper-split is at tached to the cross-bar I), and the turn-back on the opposite side is sewed to a cross-bar, E, connected to the frame by side bars, F F. These latter serve as connections for the hipstraps, and are ordinarily about one inch in length, the bars, E, G and D being about one and a half inch in length.

It will be understood that the curved parts J J and bars D and G are in the same, or approximately in the same, plane. From the curved parts J J, near their point of junction with the cross-bars D G, rise curved arms a a,

stood that the cockeye is made thinner at the narrow part, and this opening 0 between the two curved arms a a on each side is just wide enough to admit the thin neck of the cockeye when said cockeye is turned up on edge. After the cockeye has been thus slipped into the opening formed by the curved bar J and pair of curved arms a a, it is turned down, as represented in Fig. 1. This opening is proportioned in size to the loop of the coclieye, which is ordinarily-made thicker at the end, so that when turned down, as represented in Fig. 1, it cannot be drawn out, the larger end of the cockeye not passing outward in that position. The weight of the tug holds the coekcye in the position shown in Fig. 1, and it can be reremoved only by the same way in which it entered, which requires the hand of the attendant.

In order to strengthen and brace the arms a a, those opposite each other on opposite sides of the carrier are connected by braces H H, curved as shown in Fig. 1, so as to admit the loop of the cockeye. These braces also prevent the reins or tail of the animal from catching in the arms a a. They also'guide the cockeyes into the openings b b.

It is obvious that the carrier, as described, maybe cast of any suitable metal in one piece, and thus be made very cheaply. It allows the cockeyes to be quickly hooked up and holds them with perfect security.

In the modification (shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2) the carrier is like that first described, except that an additional bar is provided for attachment of breeehing. it will be observed therefore, from the illustration anddescription, that the space between the bars H H, which connect the arms a a, (as it opens into the rest for the cockeye on each side,) serves for both cockeyes, and I avoid the necessity of an open-- ing for the introduction of each. I am thus able to make the article much smaller in direction of its width as well as in direction of its height, which not only is a saving of metal, but also of weight; and as the article is upon the back of the'horse, it is desirable to make ita-s small and as little conspicuous as possible.

I am aware that the patent of Cooper, January 2, 1872, shows a trace-carrier provided 5 with standards connected together, having separably-formed slats placed diagonally to receive a cockeye ed gewise. The principle of this invention is the same as that of mine; but the construction for carrying it out differs. Iogreatly from that herein described, and this difference is made the subject of the following claim.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim,;and desire to secure by Letters Patent 15 of the United States, is

' A trace-carrier consisting of the curved bars J J, cross-bars D Gr, and curved arms a a,arra-n ged in pairs opposite each other and connected by the curved braces H H, the said carrier provided with the proper connections for the 20 ADAM B. WILHELM.

Witnesses:

GERHARD G. ARENDS, J r., WILLIAM F. BEMBROCK. 

